Northsage
Northsage was a prosperous nation in the far northeast of Eriene. History Northsage was settled at the same time by two families - the Vor family in the north, and the Altman family in the south. The Vors founded Vorchester in 458 A.R., and began to expand southwards until they met the lands controlled by the Altmans, who had founded Shoreshire in 467 A.R.. A tentative pact of cooperation was agreed between the two families, but by 534 A.R., minor skirmishes concerning farming and hunting land rights broke out. The families became rivals, and each dispatched messengers, envoys, and assassins to the other's lands. Before the situation could escalate into an all-out conflict, the Vor and Altman families agreed a peace treaty, creating a unified nation of Northsage. The and would be shared between the two families, and the Altman family would become the nation's hereditary rulers, governing from Vorchester. Several members of each family married into the other, creating a nominally unified rulership. The coronation of the first Queen of Northsage took place on 03 Rexos 550 A.R., a day celebrated thereafter as Northsage Day. The nation was governed in peace, and began to expand its economy, with Vorchester having become a significant port city for trade between Eastern Eriene and Western Katallagē. In 789 A.R., the ruling Queen of Northsage, Queen Eseraele, vanished under mysterious and suspicious circumstances. Her son Rayelor, could not accede to the throne, as the old constitutional agreement made between the Vor and Altman families in 550 A.R. required that a monarch be declared dead before an heir apparent could be crowned. As of 897 A.R., the Queen had not been found, and Northsage had been without a monarch for a century. In place of a monarch, a Council of Regents governed the nation, headed by the heir apparent. Government & Politics In the absence of a monarch, the Council of Regents exerted its authority over Northsage. The body comprised 20 Regents, each appointed for a life term by the heir apparent of the day. The Council had jurisdiction over all matters pertaining to trade, justice, and security. Foreign relations were the purview of the heir apparent, aided by the Court of Ambassadors, which, like the Council, was comprised of appointees of the heir apparent. In 839 A.R., on the 50th anniversary of the disappearance of Queen Eseraele, the Council held a referendum on abolishing the hereditary monarchy and make the Council the permanent government of Northsage. Both the Altman and Vor families vigorously opposed this proposal, and succeeded in convincing the populous to resoundingly reject it. As of 897 A.R., the heir apparent was Aleyn, the 19-year old great-grandson of Eseraele. Notable People Aleyn. Aleyn was the heir apparent of Northsage from 895 A.R. aged 17, after his mother died at the age of 75. Geography Northsage sat in the far northeast of Eriene, bordered to the north by the Sundering Peaks; to the east by the North Sea; and to the south and west by the Calgo Mountains. A passage through the mountains in the southwest of the region led into Ascela. The great River Vor proceeded from the far north of the Sundering Peaks, flowing through valleys in the mountains and out into Northsage, where it ran south of Vorchester before meeting the sea in the southeast. Smaller brooks and streams flowed from various springs across the nation into the Vor. Notable Locaitons Settlements. There were six settlements in Northsage; Vorchester, the capital city; Brightwood, a commune surrounded by a nature reserve; Shoreshire, a city in the south; Altstead, a town in the southwest at the edge of the passage through the Calgo Mountains; Fort Naern, a dwarven fortress in the Sundering Peaks; and Vormouth, a town at the mouth of the Vor. Sundering Peaks. The great peninsula in the north of Northsage was composed entirely of mountains, often with one peak protruding from the side of another. A great valley ran through the middle of the mountains, carved by the waters of the Vor, which flowed from a source in the far north of the Peaks. The Peaks were inhabited by tribes of half-orcs and goliaths, who formed their own villages in the high mountains. Brightwood Reserve. A great swathe of forest land between Vorchester and Shoreshire was in 687 A.R. designated a nature reserve, and the commune of Brightwood established at its centre to tend to it. The reserve was created by Kind Agel, who was a devout follower of Arkadïa. The reserve remained protected for centuries. Trade & Commerce Northsage became a wealthy nation primarily because of the trade flowing through Vorchester, between Eastern Eriene and Western Katallagē. The nation imported and exports both raw and refined goods for both trade and domestic consumption. Northsage itself did not exports much more than ore and gems mined in the Sundering Peaks. This meant that the nation's economy became dependent on the Trade Road, which led through the Calgo Mountains into Ascela, and the shipping routes across the North Sea to Katallagē. Events In 789 A.R., Queen Eseraele vanished. In Boess 897 A.R., Brightwood was afflicted with a bought of Blight brought on by necromancers, who were eventually weeded out by Krauss and Co.. In Boess 897 A.R., ships began to disappear in the North Sea.